Iraqi Police with Emergency Services Units patrol the streets of Beiji during a sweep of the city that involved more than 400 personnel. The sweep netted 25 suspected insurgents and criminals.
Posted on 04/12/2006 4:05:37 PM PDT by SandRat
RAMADI, Iraq - More than 80 men, known as the Sons of Al Anbar, stepped back into the desert heat of Ramadi Saturday, after completing eight weeks of training at the Iraqi Police Academy in Jordan.
The men left their homes to train as Iraqi Police officers in early February. For weeks they trained at the Jordan International Training Center to hone their skills as policemen in the volatile city of Ramadi. The basic police training program is designed to provide fundamental and democratic policing skills based on international human rights standards to the students, in preparation for assuming police officer responsibilities.
The program consists of four weeks of general policing and four weeks of tactical police training. To date, more than 11,500 police officers have completed the course which is taught by police trainers from Iraq, Jordan, Canada, Sweden, Slovenia, Austria, Finland, Czech Republic, Singapore, Poland, Slovakia, Australia, Hungary, Belgium, United Kingdom and United States. "The men of Ramadi need to take care of their city," said one new officer as he stepped off the bus. "If we don’t stand up against the insurgents, who will?" he said, adding his family encouraged him to become a police officer.
The Al Anbar Provincial Police Chief, Gen. Sha'aban Muhammed Samier, stressed the importance of establishing a strong Iraqi Police presence in Ramadi. The IPs must be successful in order to ensure the safety of Ramdi's young, elderly, women and families, he said.
The Sons of Anbar are the second group of trained officers to return to the city's neighborhoods. In the coming days, the graduates will be measured for uniforms and boots and will receive their body armor and weapons. Here they will also continue to train on patrolling the streets of Ramadi.
Iraqi's stepping up to the plate to defend their country.
BTTT
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